Stars who passed away this year

Stars who passed away this year: "

"I will dig you out."

"I will dig you out.": "It began with a simple “let me know” Tweet a few hours after Sunday’s blizzard dumped more than two feet of snow on New Jersey’s largest city. Soon, Tweets by Newark residents were providing Mayor @CoryBooker with critical real-time information as he directed the massive cleanup.

Booker is no stranger to Twitter. He has logged nearly 5,000 Tweets and gained more than one million followers since joining in 2008. In the last four days, he’s demonstrated to his community tangible examples of individual engagement that may have even inspired others to act in kind.

Patrolling the streets of his city with a Blackberry in hand, Booker responded to a report of a woman in labor – arriving to aid the expectant mother before EMS could get to the scene. As residents reported unplowed streets and stuck cars, the mayor dispatched city plows and tow trucks, often showing up himself to help shovel or push.

Booker is setting a great example for how local public officials can use Twitter to better manage crisis. His effort did not go unnoticed. Check out Vanity Fair’s list of the “10 Most Valiant Snow-Rescue Tweets from Cory Booker,” and coverage from the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, or this piece by Frank Reed for more.

Top 25 Songs of 2010 Mashup

Top 25 Songs of 2010 Mashup: "

So there's this dude DJ Earworm who for the past few years has done what he calls the "United State of Pop" where he takes the Top 25 Hits according to Billboard Magazine and uses them to create the ultimate annual pop mashup.

Problem is pop music is basically like candy for your ears.

Now, I think we all can agree that an occasional piece of candy or two is great. But if you try to eat 25 pieces of candy at once, you're going to puke all over the floor.

The moral: I watched the video above and puked all over the floor.

This Is Likely The Best Photo You Will See All Day

This Is Likely The Best Photo You Will See All Day: "

The Atlantic Tumblr picked this up. Here is the backstory:

That’s Nancy Reagan sitting on Mr. T’s lap (Santa T?), giving him a smooch, at a White House Christmas party in 1983. The First Lady actually requested Mr. T come to the party dressed as Santa Claus. This photo was printed in countless newspapers and magazines around the world.

Join the conversation about this story »

Just What Does Your State Do Best?

Just What Does Your State Do Best?: "

Every state in the U.S. is the best at something. In a country as richly diverse as America, the differences from state to state are clear. What is your state the best at? The results may surprise you.

Which state has the highest per capita marijuana use? Who has the most horses? Deer-collisions? What about suicides? Rice production?

There will be some stats on this graphic by our friends at 1bog that will not surprise you, such as the state with the largest economy or the most wind farms, but some of the stats will likely blow your mind.

Follow @FastCoLeaders for all of our leadership news, expert bloggers, and book excerpts.

Click to Enlarge

Infographic by Home Solar Power Discounts

A First: Lightning captured by new camera working at one-sixth the speed of light

A First: Lightning captured by new camera working at one-sixth the speed of light: "

New Camera works at one-sixth the speed of light, it takes ten million images per second.

Hey New York, This Is Real Snow [Image Cache]

Hey New York, This Is Real Snow [Image Cache]: "

I'm looking through my window and my street is completely white. There's no traffic, and the ones parked are half covered with snow. In other places, like the ones in these crazy photos, people won't even blink. More »

Blizzard Wizards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Snow Plows

Blizzard Wizards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Snow Plows: "[ By Steve in Environment & Nature, Gadgets & Geek Art, Technology & Futurism. ]

When snow begins to pile up, snow plows head out to take it down. These glorified power shovels are a triumph of basic technology against the forces of nature, and even then there’s room for adaptation, customization and decoration. So clear the way for these 10 cool cutting edge snow plows… or better yet, let THEM do it for you!

Porsche 968 Snow Plow

(images via: Eastbounddown and Pelican Parts Forums)

Ever wonder what the snow plow driver drives? No, it’s not a shop… but the Porsche 968 Snowplow isn’t exactly what it appears to be, either. “In honor of April Fools Day, each April I write my column about something humorous,” explains Bruce Corwin, owner of the 968 above. “One year I took the snowplow off a friend’s truck and parked my 968 behind the plow. I took a few photos that looked like the plow was attached to the front of the Porsche and wrote a column about the Porsche ‘snowplow option’.”

(image via: Found Shit)

We’re guessing the Corvette Snow Plow above was “constructed” along the same lines, though the flashing orange light on the roof is a nice touch.

Roofus Radio-Controlled Robot Snow Plow

(images via: ConceptPop and Gizmodo)

Meet Roofus, the Radio-Controlled Robotic Snow Plow who’s gonna tell ya somethin’ good: plowing your driveway just got as easy as playing a video game! Shiny orange Roofus was originally designed to clear snow from roofs – hence the name – but snow is snow and Roofus just eats it up. Roofus rides on twin caterpillar tracks and packs two electric motors plus a gasoline engine – it’s Mr. Freeze’s Prius! Bolt on some peripheral attachments and Roofus can mow your lawn, sweep the drive and more… actually, YOU can, by just flexing your thumbs.

Russian Jet-Powered Snow Plows

(images via: Mileanhour and Dark Roasted Blend)

When General Winter gets all ornery-like and threatens to put the kibosh on your holiday travel plans, who ya gonna call? Snow Busters!… now equipped with Klimov VK-1 jet engines upcycled from Red Army surplus MiG-15 fighter planes. These bizarre jet trucks are used in Russia and the former Eastern Bloc to clear snow off airport runways and, on occasion, de-ice airliners. If you thought flying Aeroflot sucked, guess what? It blows, too.

(image via: Dark Roasted Blend)

Train tracks also get the blow-dry treatment in eastern Europe, as the makeshift snowblower above illustrates. Now that’s one loco locomotive!

Yuki-Taro Robotic Snow Plow

(images via: Pink Tentacle and Geekologie)

Anyone for some Japanese over-engineering with a dash of cute overload? Arigato, snowplow roboto! The cute (of course) creation above is Yuki-Taro, an environmentally-friendly snow plowing robot that seeks out snow with two video cameras (one in each “eye”) and an on-board GPS receiver.

(images via: Ubergizmo and Techeblog)

Yuki-Taro was designed to help elderly homeowners clear their driveways and walkways. As for what to do with the cleared snow, 880 lb Yuki-Taro simply eats it – whereupon internal compactors form the snow into uniform bricks which are then excreted out the back. If a coalition of several Japanese universities and research institutions didn’t design Yuki-Taro, we’d have to guess a bunch of Japanese kids did. Toss in the eyebrows and the Pikachu mod and we’re sure of it.

Fabulous Fifties Snow Plows

(images via: Travelpod/Hildreth75 and Perimeter Run)

They say time goes by slower up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the winters, well, they seem to last forever. That still doesn’t explain this four door, four wheel drive, 1955 Buick snow plow. We can’t explain it either, so simply gaze upon it in awe and wonder.

(image via: Club Chopper Forums)

One of the most iconic cars of the finned, fabulous Fifties was the 1957 Chevy, ideally as a fuel-injected 2-door Bel Air convertible. The snow plow sedan version… not so much. Even so, you’d have to be Mr. Plow to be any cooler than the driver of this tricked out, chrome-bedazzled rig.

Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T Lawn Mower/Snow Plow

(images via: Techeblog)

“Hybrid Goat Robot” sounds like the title of a very bad B-movie we’d nevertheless love to see, but the Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T from Eva Tech is actually a tank-like treaded vehicle that maintains your yard and drive season in and season out.

Check out the Goat Robot 22T making a baaad winter goood:

Remote Control Snow Plow, via Lmedinaxyz

(image via: Eva Tech)

You’ll need to put out $11,999 for the pleasure, mind you, but that’s probably cheaper than keeping your own living goat – and they don’t plow snow all that well.

Hell’s Snow Plow

(images via: TheAllisonRose and ZhenPanda)

Train snowplows are all kinds of awesome from the get go and there’s really no need to jazz ‘em up – so when that happens, it’s off the rails awesome… so to speak. Take the Evil Clown artwork on the train snowplow above… Hell’s Snow Plow indeed!

(image via: John Vass)

When this Bozo on expired steroids comes roaring down the track somewhere in the wilds of rural Montana, be afraid, be VERY afraid, be Stand By Me afraid! Oh and we love the single gold tooth, nice touch there.

RoboPlow

(images via: AutoMotto)

When Robocop wants to plow his driveway, you’d better believe he’s not plowing it – he’s a robotic cop, right? Besides, odds are he’s got RoboPlow: the leanest, meanest, robotic snowplow there is. Don’t be surprised if if rolls up – on 6 wheels, no less – and booms out “Clarence Boddicker, I’m here to shovel your driveway!”

Here’s a promotional video from RoboPlow’s creators, IdeaLABORATORIES, showing this badass mutha in action:

ROBOPLOW, via IdeaLABORATORIES

(image via: Godlike Productions)

RoboPlow sports a wicked 50” wide angle-able blade and packs 660 amps of power. It features a pair of 10-watt LEDs for night-plowing (not the same as night-putting), a pair of flashing red LED brake lights and a fully articulated camera on top to freak people out – if looking like a runaway dwarf casket wasn’t enough. When the cam turns your way, you half-expect a Martian heat ray to blast forth! Available in any color you want – as long as its black.

Pedal-Powered Snow Plow

(images via: 1World2Wheels and Simply+Green Solutions)

From the wild to the mild – we give you the pedal-powered snow plow. No motors, no LEDs, no GPS or frikkin’ laser beams and yet, it’s still awesome… AND fun! It might not be mean but it sure is green. “It probably took me 50 to 80 hours to complete the pedal plow,” says crafty DIY-er Kevin Blake. “With a little bit of mechanical aptitude, some metal working resources and a couple of old bikes, just about anyone can make a pedal-powered snowplow.”

Pedal Powered Snowplow, via MrPlowKevin

(image via: Mother Earth News)

Thanks to Kevin’s exhaustively complete directions, just about anyone CAN build themselves a pedal-powered snow plow. We’re not sure what Kevin’s regular job is, but with ideas like these he should tell his boss to “take this job and shovel it!”

Long Island Railroad Snowplow W83 “Jaws III”

(images via: RMLI and TrainWeb)

Looking like a cross between the boss Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine and a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Flying Tigers livery, snowplow W83 “Jaws III” was probably the most exciting thing to ever ride the rails of the Long Island Rail Road. Built by the LIRR machine shop atop a 1907 flatcar way back in December of 1915, W83 cleared snow along the main line for decades before being rebuilt and repainted in November of 1978.

(images via: TrainWeb)

After a further 8 years of faithful service, the LIRR finally retired snowplow Jaws III (or perhaps by then, “Dentures III”) in 1986. The larger than life, toothy rolling shovel was handed over to the Railroad Museum of Long Island and remains parked just outside the Greenport Freight House.

(images via: Busted Tees and Culturish)

“Call Mr. Plow, that’s my name, that name again, is Mr. Plow!” Ahh yes, Mr. Plow cruised into pop culture consciousness on November 19, 1992, on the ninth episode of The Simpsons’ fourth season. There it has remained, stuck like a snow plow buried beneath an avalanche on Widow’s Peak. Just consider, though, if “Plow King” Barney had been driving any of the above 10 snow plows he’d never need to be rescued and consequences (and Springfield history) would never be the same.

A chilly solstice (and lunar eclipse)

A chilly solstice (and lunar eclipse): "

Yesterday, December 21st, was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the start of winter. Also, for the first time since 1638, a total lunar eclipse took place on the same day as the solstice, observable by people across the Americas and parts of Asia. During a lunar eclipse, the Moon travels briefly through the shadow of the Earth, and appears to dim and become a dark reddish color. The coloration is due to sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere - the same conditions that create red sunsets - so an observer standing on the Moon during a lunar eclipse would look up and see the dark Earth surrounded by a red ring, a sunset around the globe. Collected here are images of the eclipse, the solstice, and some of the icy weather as winter officially begins. [Editor's note: An invitation is now open for you to submit your own Christmas 2010 photos for an upcoming entry in January. Next regular posting on 12/27.] (25 photos total)

Three snowshoe hikers watch the almost full moon rising behind the Weissfluhjoch mountain in Arosa, Switzerland, on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro Della Bella)

The $57,871.66 Possession

The $57,871.66 Possession: "

During the second quarter of the Heat’s game against the Mavs, Miami's potent and well-paid offense managed to miss seven shots in one possession. We got to crunching the numbers and took the game salaries of each player involved and divided it by that player’s career field goal attempts per game, giving us the cost per shot, and showing us just how much the Miami Heat paid for this costly possession.

"

Whatever Floats Your… House: 16 Amazing House Boats

Whatever Floats Your… House: 16 Amazing House Boats: "[ By Marc in Architecture & Design, Furniture & Interiors, Travel & Places. ]

House boats used to be glorified barges with a bathroom and a place to sleep. More recently, house boats have turned into residences of the wealthy. With as many comforts as a modern home, and a much more interesting address, house boat design has become something beautiful and breathtaking. It makes one wish their house could float.

(Images via samsantravels, allempires, desicolours, armchairtravelogue)

Even the most rustic looking house boats can come fully air conditioned, no matter how rural ones backwater travels might take them. India has a surprisingly robust house boat tourist industry, so it’s a definite must see destination for anyone who has dreamed of boating in total comfort.

(Images via designsquish, jetsongreen)

Some house boats try to maintain a lawn… by covering their roof with plant life. Grass is actually a great insulator, and adds a natural touch to an otherwise entirely artificial residence.

(Images via buttsclermonthouseboat, thrusterman, newhouseofart, 101boatdock, sumerset)

Luxurious, land based, accommodations are now available on the water. House boat technology has increased by leaps and bounds (and so has cost), with many boats costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

(Images via reevn, likepage, reevn)

If houses can be built on water, it makes sense that a boat can be built on land. This gorgeous home looks like it could sail off during a heavy rain, but it’s doubtful it would make it very far. Perfect for the landlubber with dreams of being the captain of a ship, or the retired pirate, this house has an awesome aesthetic.

(Images via franksquirejr, willc, laceandtea, orion1230, designshoot)

Fully sized houses are now available on the water. They may not be as mobile as one hopes, but the land is cheap (though nonexistent). If someone is into boating and wants to keep their boats in the backyard, this is the perfect solution.

Man Officially Cured of HIV [Hiv]

Man Officially Cured of HIV [Hiv]: "

For the first time, a man has been declared officially cured of HIV. The remedy may nearly have killed him, but it opens a door—just a crack—to hope that we may someday kill off the scourge for good. More »

2010 in photos (part 2 of 3)

2010 in photos (part 2 of 3): "

As the year 2010 approaches its last few days, it's time to look back on the previous 12 months. In the second third of 2010, a nearly unpronounceable Icelandic volcano wreaked havoc on European travel, South Africa hosted the World Cup, and while Russia endured disastrous fires, Pakistan struggled with its own terrible flooding, and so much more. Each photo tells its own tale, weaving together into the larger story of 2010. This is a multi-entry story, 120 photographs over three days. Please see part 1 from yesterday and watch for part 3 tomorrow. (40 photos total)

Lightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from an Icelandic volcano in Eyjafjallajokul April 17, 2010. The volcano spewed ash into the air for weeks, wreaking havoc on flights across Europe. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

Under 35: Living with Parents vs. Homeownership rate

Under 35: Living with Parents vs. Homeownership rate: "This interesting graph is from economist Tom Lawler comparing the percent of 24-34 year olds living at home vs. the under 35 year old homeownership rate ...



There is a clear inverse relationship, and this suggests some pent up demand for housing units when the employment picture improves (although the demand could be for rental units). No larger image.Sources: ASEC March Supplement to Current Population Survey for % living with parents (note sample size, other aspects of survey not constant over time); Housing Vacancy Survey for homeownership rate (note HVS homeownership rate has exceeded Decennial Census AND American Community Survey estimates)

"

Fairytale

Fairytale: " "

How Tron: Legacy Light Cycle Designers Made the Sexiest, Coolest Vehicle Ever

How Tron: Legacy Light Cycle Designers Made the Sexiest, Coolest Vehicle Ever: "

Designer Darren Gilford hoped the Light Cycle, the sleek speeder that swirls trails of neon in Tron: Legacy, would be the 'sexiest, coolest vehicle you could possibly imagine.' Gilford, Daniel Simon, and a team of concept artists tried to avoid alienating fans of the
1982 cult classic by drawing inspiration from the bike's original
design, a boxy pixilated vehicle that was severely hampered by 1980s
technology. Three decades later, the Light Cycle has morphed into a
glossy prowler, with hubless wheels and loops of light that blur where
the bike ends and the body begins.

Fast Company spoke with Gilford about the original film, designing the Light Cycle, and the limitations of engineering concept vehicles.

The light cycle is so central to this film's hype, from the toys to the trailers to the video games. What was the design process like for the vehicle?

There's so much back story. I first met [director] Joe Kosinki almost four years ago. There was this very secretive little project coming through Disney, sort of a proof-of-concept. They wanted to do a test to see what Joe's vision was--they wanted to see how this piece of the puzzle would be handled--and it was the Light Cycle sequence.

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I worked with Joe very early on. There was another artist who had taken a pass at the Light Cycle, and I had my own ideas where I wanted to take his design. I started doing 2-D conceptual drawings. Obviously, we are paying homage to the original movie and to Syd Mead, who is a legend and a god in my business, and in many ways, my education. Syd had done Light Cycle sketches for the first movie, and he had originally done an open-cockpit design, where you can see the rider on top of a beautiful surface. But back in the day, the technology was so rudimentary, they just couldn't render a full body. The rendering horsepower was so limited, and they had to do a fully enclosed bike--that closed canopy design.

Click to Expand

We wanted to bridge that gap, and we knew we wanted a bike that grew into the rider. You could see the rider--you could see his forms and his shapes, but blur the lines between where the bike ends and the rider begins.

Light is such an important aspect of everything in Tron--how light wraps around things, how light carries your eyes from the front to the back of the vehicle. Light was the glue that held everything together.

One of the things I've always been fascinated by is hubless wheel design. I loved that concept. For engineering purposes, it’s next to impossible to actually pull that off. I did some sketches, and it worked. One profile sketch really early on showed just a light line on a dark background with a dark bike. The light line was kind of the silhouette, and you saw the circles of the wheels and one light line that connected the rider between the two wheels. That was the sketch that locked the design in.

The bike for the test was maybe 60% of the way there from what you see now. Once the test went well and debuted at Comic-Con, that was the turning point for us. At the same time, Joe and I found this book called Cosmic Motors from this new conceptual artist, Daniel Simon, this automotive designer who was the first guy I've ever seen that was conceptualizing in 3-D. He is an incredible 3-D artist. We reached out and made a commitment that we wanted him to work on this movie. I would say I got the Light Cycle 60% of the way there, but I can't take credit--it was Daniel's final design. His sense of styling and automotive history and detail really brought this design to fruition. I would say Daniel's design is probably one of the most iconic vehicles ever brought to screen.

Part of the design process must be to make the vehicle cool, right? I think back to the speeder in Return of the Jedi or the Delorean in Back to the Future--iconic vehicles that people want to have whether or not they actually exist.

Of course. I was an automotive designer in school, and getting an opportunity to work on something as iconic as the Light Cycle is an absolute dream come true. I wanted to make the sexiest, coolest vehicle you could possibly imagine. The luxury of designing vehicles like this is that we’re not beholden to the limitations of engineering and traditional road requirements. We have the luxury of playing with all of the elements just purely visual, making them as fun as we can.

You're not beholden to the limits of engineering, but did you actually build a Light Cycle?

We did. We actually didn't end up building it for the movie, we ended up building it for Comic-Con for marketing purposes. But I sure would've like to have built one for the movie.

How did you update the vehicle without alienating the cult following of the original film?

That was another huge challenge. There's another retro Light Cycle in our movie that bridges the gap between the new and original design. It is Flynn's closed canopy bike. It's like his California Ferrari that he's been keeping in the garage for 20 years. You can absolutely see Syd Mead's design, but it's been updated. And with our new bike, it creates a timeline. If you put those three bikes together, you can see the progress--the lineage of Tron.

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